Unquestionably, this was one of my nicest birding trips. I had heard a great deal about Churchill's wonderful bird species, most of which breed there. I did not wish to venture there by myself though, as I would not have known where to look for specific species. So, I decided to join Glenn Bartley's Tour. I very much admire his work, and as he was familiar with the area, it was an easy decision to join him and his co-leader, David Hemmings. I was not disappointed one bit, and with the weather co-operating so nicely, plus the fact that the dreaded mosquitos and flies were nowhere to be seen until our last afternoon, as well as the terrific group of photographers and birder for company and camaraderie, my first venture to the Arctic tundra was as good as it gets. I simply fell in love with the Tundra.

My target birds were the Pacific Loon, Parasitic Jaeger, American Golden Plover, Hudsonian Godwit, Common Eider, Arctic Tern and Willow Ptarmigan. All were systematically checked off from the very first morning. The only disappointment was not finding a Ross's Gull, but then it had not been seen in the area for 5 or more years. The other missing bird was the Smith's Longspur. I guess one needs something to aim for the next time. My last bird was the Northern Waterthrush, which we shot in beautiful last light.

June 2011